The Dillon tribune., 1887-02-18
A NOTED ARCHITECTS

. A NOTED ARCHITECTS
OPINION or AMERICAN ARCHITECT
uRE PAST AND PRESENT.
ray of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. !" n"'A"
Pians.l:razcs in Residence An''"i""'
Our t:ovcrnmcut structurcs-Will tho
Monument I,ast-A New White House.
WASHINGTON. H. Mr.. Smithnieyer,
lhc architect Of the new national horary
building, is ono of the most advanced men III
his profession. He is tall. gray whislered, as
straight as West Point cadet. an Austf'a"
by birth, and rs courtly as a French diplomat
lie .vas sent abroad by congress to study tho
great national libraries there. Sixteen years
ago he was employed by the government as
one of its superintendent, and has since oee''
;; consulted in nearly every one OF it's Srea'
architectural enterprises. Nv. Snni''H'eycr
has been practicing his profession !" .Ah'o''c''
for the past several decades, aud h" Is ono
If the pioneer architects st tue country
,|mttcd with him to day ahont his profession.
| Said he:
Architecture il fast growing ~ the United
States. Twenty or thirty years ago you
could scarcely flnd u,l architect outside OF tho
large cities. Now there is All extensive nrch''
! tcctu,ul institute in the east and another III
tue west, and there are many hundreds OF
architects scattered all over tho country.
The day will como when every city Of 5.OUO
or 6,00o inhabitants will support good
architect
How does the profession Of architecture
pay!'
alt depends upon the nlau aud the oppor-
tunitics he has. know architects who earn
moro every year than tho president OF tho
United States, and there are others who make
scarcely anything. Tho best architects can
do nothing if they can get no opportunities.
A painter can show what he is IL l,e has but a
lit Il. paint and canvas, but an architect must
lr,yca client, and. If possible, a wealthy one.
before he can manifest his talent and e,nbotly
his idea il, material shape. There arc archi-
tccts in New York, Phiiadelphia, Chicago
and Boston who make from ST, 600 to $500
year! Tho architect Of the Mills building
in New York, for instance, realized, am
told, SGO, 900 in legitimate fees. The schedule
of charges for professional services for mem.
bcls of tho American Institute of Architects
and for those of tho Western Association of
Architects is $ per cent. OH the cost Of
the building. This includes the plan
ming and experimenting its construction.
We get $500 for house that costs so 600;
$500 for one that costs $50, 900: sa5. 600 for
| ono that costs $500, 900, ETC."
what do yo, think Of American archi-
tcctu,e:'
"'Thcr is no distinctive American archi.
lecture. There is a kind Of vernacular stylc
exhibited in our continental and frame struct-
urcs. just now We arc passing through n
series of stages which will unquestionably
develop our taste, and in time we will be
able to boast Of much bettcr results As yet
architecture is u matter Of fashion with us,
and our architectural fashions change al
most rs rapidly as do those of the n,oslistc,
tho tailor, halter, etc. But there arc good
! lr.r>ons Tor expecting great progress in this
linc. Onr people arc an cminently practical
people and W. live in al, age of reason Re:,.
son dictates how the architect must he gov.
| erncd in his composition and designs. Guided
| by this he will he able to discriminate and
discard the errors which whims, fancies and
vasarics Of tho fashion have introduced IN
modern building; those notably which scet
to subvert utility and comfort in tho at
tempt to copy traditional forms He mus,
known Styl" "f architecture m pliable as tr
meet tlr. manifold requirements Of n,o<ler,
times that Il has first to he subjected to 4
undermining process, Sd to speak, and tha
this process consists in selecting and applyin
only tIose characteristics Of any chosen styls
or styles which can be reasonably brought j,
harmony with the necessities OF the pro
gran'nic imposed, and thus to ''let art a,iorl
but not govern, our household Reason vii
dictate in tho preparation Of his designs TO
dwellings that the human abode, tx, it cv"
:" hulnbt, should I've healthy and CORE.
sp''ulingly comfortable, and he viii not rs,y
INIT any transgrrssions Of sanitary laws l.,
which the gsalldest and most luxurious E,l
aces might hc Transformed into hos, ,;ta,s fn
their inmates.
In due time our architects will u.ul.rs,un
that architecture is the result Of habit. re-
ligion and other characteristics of the ,xopl
III their respective localities Of climate an
the con:iguity IT building materials. rh
mere initiating of form Of architecture
structure fitted t. u prevailing whm q
. fashion, Is an act unworthy Of truc arch
tect, who should not bc a follower but :, l,a,,,
OF public taste, because thcu only can Il
fulfill his mission and become Il ,m!,lic ,,,,.
factorhy his creations. The conviction I'll.
architecture is based upon sound reason ~.
directed by good taste and sense, mus, an